Klopp: Players’ health at risk because of international football
Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp fears the gruelling demands of international football are putting players at such risk that "we have to collect their bones" during the coming season.
Klopp is preparing for the start of the new English Premier League campaign without a number of Liverpool stars who are on holiday following international duty at the World Cup.
But there is little time for players who featured in Russia to rest and then get back to peak fitness because the EPL kicks off on Aug 10.
Adding to the problem is the presence of Uefa's new Nations League, which replaces the usual rounds of international friendlies and begins on Sept 6.
Klopp feels Liverpool, and every other club with a host of internationals, are in danger of paying a heavy price for the demands placed on their stars, with injuries certain to be caused by the lack of quality recovery time.
"If they don't stop with these games - they are now making it the Nations Cup to make it more important - then these players who played at the World Cup have to go again," Klopp said.
"We had four players in the (World Cup) semis, we can deal with that. Tottenham had nine in the semis. I have no clue how they will do it. That's a big challenge... We have to change it.
"They play the World Cup, then the Nations Cup, next summer is the final of the Nations Cup, which is really crazy. Everything is now so important in football and we have to collect their bones afterwards, more or less."
Klopp expects to be without Croatia defender Dejan Lovren, who made the World Cup final, and England midfielder Jordan Henderson, who played in the semi-finals in Russia, for Liverpool's opening game of the season against West Ham.
"Jordan will be back on Aug 5 and Dejan will be back on Aug 6," he said.
"That would mean five days training after three weeks' holiday. I hope we are in a situation where we don't need to think about using these two."
Meanwhile, Klopp will not have midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for the majority of the new season after he suffered multiple knee ligament damage during the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against AS Roma in April and underwent successful surgery eight days later.
"We're preparing this season knowing he will not be with us on the pitch for the majority of the season. If we do see him back, it will be a bonus," Klopp said. - AFP, REUTERS
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